Album Review: Brother Against Brother - Brother Against Brother

Two of the gimmicky trends that have endured since they were first heard are the multi-vocalist metal opera, and the melodic metal duet album. Allen/Lande was a project that made a large impact, but few people seem to understand why it succeeded, because we have been subjected to many of these records that think it was the concept itself that made the record work. I've talked about this before, and I'm sure I will talk about it again, since no one seems to be getting the message.

When you're going an album with more than one singer, they need to be doing something different enough from each other to justify both of them being there. If you can't tell the difference between the two singers enough that either one of them could sing the whole album on their own, the whole thing is pointless. That's why Allen/Lande and Allen/Olzon both worked, and why something like Leone/Conti utterly failed.

I bring that up because regardless of what I'm going to say about the quality of the songs on this album, the two singers who make up this project fill the same role, so the very idea of putting the two of them together is redundant. And since neither one of them is notable as a name or in their previous output, they don't have the good will or defined identity to make almost anyone even care which one of them is singing at any given point.

With that out of the way, let's get to the album itself, which is already the fifth(?) this year written by Alessandro Del Vecchio. So if you think you know what it's going to sound like already, you're absolutely right. This album is completely standard melodic metal, obviously trying to sound a lot like the Allen/Lande albums, which it does.

Despite the dubious way this album was put together, the songs are enjoyable. Hearing a heavier edge to the now overplayed style is welcome, and the two singers do their best to channel Russell Allen and Ronnie James Dio. There is a lack of personality to the record, though, for that very reason. It's obvious what they're trying to do, and it isn't to spotlight what makes them unique. I almost get the impression from the record it was intended for bigger name singers, and these two got the parts when the label couldn't get who they wanted.

I know it sounds like I'm being quite harsh on this record, but that's only because there are more things to say on that side of the ledger, even if they might not wind up being as important. What truly matters is the music, which I will say again is quite enjoyable. It's a fine album to sit down and listen to, but following so closely to the established pattern, there isn't much to say about it beyond it being good. If you've heard any of dozens of albums I could name, you already know everything you need to know about whether you're going to like this. It isn't among the elite of the genre, but it's far, far better than the dregs.

Brother Against Brother is a showcase that doesn't really give either singer enough room to stand apart and show what they can do, but it's a very find melodic metal album. If you can put aside the philosophical issues, there's a lot to like here. I'm going to try to do that, but I'm not sure how successful I'm going to be. Either way, give the record a chance. There's plenty of good to find within it.